The present invention relates to air-conditioning systems for railway vehicles used in passenger service and more particularly to such systems in which a static converter is employed to provide power for operating the system equipment from the high voltage line of an electrified railway network.
The performance of conventional air-conditioning systems of the above type is determined by the maximum power level available and the exchange capacity of the cooler. This air exchange capacity must be such as to accomodate a fully occupied car.
When placing the car in service prior to departure, the car must be precooled or preheated to bring the inside temperature of the car within the specified temperature range selected for passenger comfort.
It becomes obvious, therefore, that a direct correlation exists between the maximum performance of the system and the conditions of comfort capable of being attained. For example, there may be cases of overcrowding of passengers or, due to tight scheduling, insufficient time to sufficiently carry out the precooling or preheating necessary to assure immediate passenger comfort. Particularly, extreme temperatures of the ambient air has an adverse affect upon the conditioning ability of the equipment and thus upon passenger comfort.